Banana Bread Cinnamon Rolls

This is a variation on my basic cinnamon bun recipe. 

Bun dough:

1 cup mashed potatoes
2 tbsp yeast
2 cups warm milk or potato water

3/4 cup softened butter
2 eggs beaten

1 cup mashed bananas
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp salt

6 cups flour

Inside the buns:
3Tbsp melted butter (to spread onto dough)
1 1/2 cups brown sugar (to sprinkle onto melted butter)
2 Tbsp cinnamon

1 cup chopped pecans

Mix potatoes and milk or potato water in blender. Pour into large mixing bowl. Add sugar and yeast.

Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Add 6 cups flour and knead until soft. Cover and let rise 1 hour.

Punch and make rolls (with brown sugar and cinnamon). Let rolls rise 30 minutes. Bake at 325 degrees F for 30 minutes.


Sauce:
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup boiling water
1/2 cup cream
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp vanilla
4 tsp butter
1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Mix. Heat to boiling. Pour over rolls when done or just before serving. Enjoy!

Sourdough Sandwich Loaf

 This is a work in progress. I don't know how to save it as a draft.

• 50g active sourdough starter – make sure it’s bubbly and fed about 12 hours before baking.

• 275g water – lukewarm water helps activate the fermentation process.

• 60g olive oil – adds moisture and tenderness to the crumb.

• 15g honey – adds just a touch of sweetness; maple syrup or sugar can be substituted.

• 500g all-purpose flour – this provides the structure and strength the bread needs.

• 10g salt – essential for flavor and helping to control fermentation.

You don’t need any fancy flour or equipment here — just a mixing bowl, a loaf pan, and a little care.

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Instructions

Mix the Dough

Start by combining the sourdough starter, water, olive oil, and honey in a large bowl. Stir to dissolve everything, then add the flour and salt. Mix with a spoon or your hands until no dry flour remains. The dough will look a bit shaggy at first, but that’s okay — it will smooth out during kneading.

Knead and Rest

Transfer the dough to a clean surface or keep it in the bowl to knead. Work it for 8–10 minutes until it becomes smooth, soft, and slightly tacky. If kneading by hand, use the heel of your palm to push the dough forward, fold it back, and repeat. Cover the dough with a damp towel or plastic wrap and let it rest for 1 hour at room temperature.

Overnight Rise

After the initial rest, place the dough in the refrigerator for an overnight cold fermentation — about 10–12 hours. This slow rise improves both the flavor and the digestibility of the bread. By morning, your dough should be noticeably puffier and roughly doubled in size.

Shape the Dough

Lightly flour your countertop, then gently turn out the cold dough. Pat it into a rectangle, roll it up tightly like a log, and pinch the seam closed. Place the dough seam-side down into a greased 9×5-inch loaf pan. Smooth the top and make a few shallow slashes if you like.

Final Proof

Let the shaped dough rise at room temperature for 2–3 hours, or until it domes nicely over the edge of the pan by about 1 inch. The exact time can vary depending on your kitchen temperature — don’t rush this step. A properly proofed loaf will feel airy and spring back slightly when pressed.

Bake

Preheat your oven to 450°F (232°C). Once the dough is ready, place the pan on the middle rack and bake for 45–50 minutes. The top should be a rich golden brown, and the loaf should sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. If your oven tends to run hot, you can cover the top loosely with foil halfway through to prevent over-browning.

Cool

Allow the bread to cool in the pan for 10–15 minutes to finish setting. Then gently remove it and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Slicing too early can make the bread gummy — so give it at least 45 minutes before cutting.

Orange Rolls, simplified

April 17, 2025 I made the full recipe of Citrus Buns, and for some reason, I had to fight the dough. It just didn't go as I had thought it would. Plus, it's a giant batch. Five-and-a-half dozen buns. So, I'll go back to my tried-and-true cinnamon bun recipe and adapt it to be my new orange rolls go-to recipe. As of today, April 18, I haven't tried it as written, but I'm fully confident it'll be great.

Bun dough:

1 cup mashed potatoes
2 tbsp yeast
2 cups potato water or milk
3/4 cup softened butter
2 eggs beaten
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
6 cups of flour

Inside the buns:
3Tbsp melted butter (to spread onto dough)
2 cups sweetened coconut

1 cup white sugar

zest from one orange and one lemon

Blend mashed potatoes and potato water/milk. (I'm considering putting an orange in as well.)

Add the other ingredients and mix well. Add 6 cups flour and knead until soft. Cover and let rise 1 hour.

Punch and make rolls with coconut/zest filling. Let rolls rise 30 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes.

Sauce:
1 cup sugar

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup butter

juice from one lemon

Mix. Heat to boiling. Pour over rolls when done or just before serving. Enjoy!

Banana Muffins and variations (spinach, pumpkin)

I have no idea where this recipe came from originally. It's in "the white recipe book" (aka a collection from a group of church friends about 20 years ago).

1 cup mashed bananas (about 3 medium)

1 tsp baking soda

2 large eggs

1/4 cup butter

1 cup brown sugar, packed*

1 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt*

1 tsp vanilla (optional)

1/2 cup chocolate chips

In a small bowl, stir mashed bananas and baking soda together. Set aside.

Beat eggs in a small bowl until frothy. Set aside.

Cream butter and sugar in large mixing bowl. Add half of the eggs, mixing again. Add second half of eggs, mix again. Stir in mashed bananas, mix again.

Add dry ingredients and chocolate chips. Stir to moisten. Spoon into prepared muffin pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Notes

I reduce sugar in most recipes. This recipe could be delicious with half the amount of sugar.

If you reduce the sugar, also reduce the salt.

Variations

You can use other ingredients in place of banana. We love a 2/3 banana with 1/3 spinach version. I use the blocks of frozen chopped spinach from Superstore. Half of one block is enough for one batch of muffins. Thaw it. Liquid can be added to batter, too.

Pumpkin muffins are great as well. Replace the entire portion of bananas with pumpkin puree, add 2 tsp pumpkin spices. For this version, use the full 1 cup of brown sugar.

Pumpkin spice mix (I make a big batch, usually about 8X this, and use 2 tsp at a time)

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp ginger

Southwestern Egg Rolls

I have no idea why these are called egg rolls.... This is inspired by this social media post by Freddsters 

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

1 jalapeno, finely chopped (seeds removed if you want it more mild)

2 cloves garlic, grated

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp chili powder (guajillo variety, if you have it)

1 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp cumin

2 bell peppers, chopped

2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken

1 cup black beans (I used a whole can of beans, drained and rinsed)

1 cup corn (I used a whole can of corn, drained and rinsed)

1 small package of fresh baby spinach or half a package of frozen spinach

1 lime, juiced

Shredded cheese of choice

10 large flour tortillas

Avocado Ranch Dip

2 avocados, mashed

1 lime, juiced

1 cup ranch dressing

finely chopped cilantro to taste

1 small clove of garlic, grated

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Saute onion, jalapeno, and garlic for a few minutes.

Add spices and bell peppers, cook for a few minutes.

Add in beans, corn, and spinach, cook until spinach is wilted.

Mix avocado ranch dip.

Lay out all 10 tortillas, add cheese to each one, divide the filling evenly. Roll them up, lay them in a frying pan with a little olive oil until browned, turn to brown on each side. 

These make a great meal, about one to one-and-a-half per person is plenty. They are great as leftovers, and make a nice breakfast with a side of eggs.

Tomato Soup From Scratch

This recipe is from my mother-in-law, possibly as far back as the late '90's. I don't remember. I haven't made it in many years, but I'm in a wintery, soupy, cozy mood, so I made a half-batch. I'll write this as the full recipe. For reference, a half-batch made 12 500mL (2 cup or 1 pint) jars.

Ingredients

2 pails of tomato chunks

1 head celery

3 large onions

3 green peppers

3 jalapenos (with or without seeds, depending on preference)

2 cloves garlic (individual cloves. Not two heads of garlic!)

3 bay leaves

3 Tbsp dried parsley (or 1 cup fresh)

2 Tbsp dried basil (or 3/4 cup fresh, loosely packed)

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp black pepper

1 cup butter

1 can tomato soup

1 small can tomato paste

1/8 cup ketchup

1 tsp baking soda

1 cup cornstarch

3/4 cup flour* 

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup salt

Directions

Prep veggies and roughly chop. Add into a very large pot with the herbs and spices. Boil for 45 minutes, stirring periodically. Remove the bay leaves, then use an immersion blender to zap the soup. The soup can be poured through a strainer at this point if a smoother end result is prefered.

Combine the next set of ingredients in a separate pot, add to main pot once it's combined.

In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients. Add into the soup pot while running the immersion blender to ensure there are no cornstarch blobs.

Bring till almost boiling and then ladle into prepared jars.

Notes

When I did the half-batch, I used the full cup of cornstarch without any of the flour. I really like the texture and thickness of how this turned out.

Gluten-free: This recipe would be so easily GF, if you omit the flour and ensure the commercial tomato soup is also GF.

Store-bought tomato soup is concentrated and intended to be diluted with water or milk. This recipe is ready-to-serve.

Mennonite New Year's Cookies, Fritters, Portzelky

This recipe is adapted from, and inspired by edieseveryday.com

Note! This version of the recipe requires TWO blocks of time for rising.

Ingredients

5 tsp sugar
2 Tbsp dry yeast
2 cups warm water
1 3/4 cups warm milk
7 cups flour, divided

2 tsp baking powder, optional
1/2 cup sugar (minus the 5 tsp)
1/2 cup melted lard or butter
4 eggs
1 1/2 tsp salt
4 cups raisins, coated with some flour to keep them from falling to the bottom of the dough (or chopped apples or omit fruit all together)

enough lard for frying, about 8 cups

Toppings
Sprinkle with powdered sugar when fritters are hot
Dip fritter into powdered sugar while eating
Toss hot apple fritters with a combination of powdered sugar and cinnamon
Dip into Roger's Syrup

Instructions
For a full batch, using a large bowl, mix sugar and yeast into the two cups warm water. Allow to stand for 10 minutes. Stir to combine.

Mix in 2 cups flour to make a sponge. Cover the bowl with a damp dish towel and allow to rise in a warm area until light and bubbly. Once the dough has doubled, stir in the other ingredients and approximately 5 cups flour to make a stiff batter. Let rise until doubled and fry in deep, hot fat.

You will need two tablespoons to form and handle the dough, as well as a slotted spoon to remove the fritters from the hot oil. Quickly dip the two tablespoons into the oil and form small balls of the dough with the oiled tablespoons, carefully scraping and dropping the dough into the hot oil. The fritters will sink to the bottom of the pan and then pop right back up. You should be able to fry at least six at a time, but don't crowd the pan. Fry until golden brown on both sides, carefully flipping when required. Drain on a tray lined with paper towels.

Serve warm.